forum.cncdrive.com

Very strange occurrence happening. It just started a couple days ago and I haven't been able to find the cause.

I power up my new control that has the CNCDrive servo drives. Once that has started I boot up the laptop I am using for UCCNC.

When UCCNC has started it is in RESET mode as one would expect with the reset message on screen. However it won't go out of RESET and no E-Stop or limit switch is activated.

I close UCCNC and restart it. On this second attempt I can click the RESET button and everything is fine.

This happens every time I've turned off power to the new control and turned off the computer. The next time I power up I have the same problem.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
BH

Well..........I've discovered something else. It turns out this problem occurs whether the laptop is connected to the new control or removed and UCCNC is starting in Demo mode. So this at least eliminates the new control and narrows down the the problem to something I must have done to the software.

I've been working with this system for months now and this is a new problem that began a few days ago. I had been working on getting the probe going lately so it might have something to do with that. Since I just got the probe going the way I want from the Main screen PROBE button and am not using the probe pages I deactivated the probe plugin. That did not solve the problem.

Beyond that I'm not sure what to look at.

Thanks,
BH

It looks normal behaviour, nothing strange.
When you starting the software in demo mode then all inputs are always on high level, because there is no hardware (motion controller) to define the inputs otherwise.
And so if for example your e-stop input is defined active high and in the hardware the non active state keeps the input low then in demo mode it is in the active state always, so you will not be able to remove the software from reset in demo mode, except if you disabling/reconfiguring that e-stop input. The same is with limit switches.

Ok.......thanks. But what about when it doesn't start when connected to my control? And if it is the E-stop or limit switch setting why then does it start on the second try? That is the real issue.

However I'll experiment with the high and low settings on the limit switches and E-stop Input settings this morning per your suggestion. If that doesn't do it, while retaining proper function of those settings, I'll try to reinstall the software.

Thanks for the reply,
BH

Hi BH,

How quick are you opening UCCNC after powering up your control box, and what is the controller you're using?

I've noted that on my UC300eth and UC400eth setups, If I flip on the power to the control box and fire up UCCNC to quick, it goes to demo mode and I have to close/reopen. There has to be enough time for the controller to 'boot' and establish its Ethernet communications I'm sure, so I'm now in a habit of turning on power and waiting 30 sec + to fire up UCCNC.

I think it's standard behavior, maybe test yourself on how quick you open UCCNC after power up, and verify if that is what is happening for you.

Eric

When you powering the controller up it requires some time to boot up and to establish the ethernet connection.
It has to talk to the network/computer to get an IP address etc., this takes some time and until the controller is done then the UCCNC starts in demo mode, because then it does not see the controller as it cannot communicate yet.

Thanks guys. I appreciate your giving your thoughts and I have experienced exactly what you both are saying. However it has nothing to do with what is taking place.

To try and make the explanation a bit more precise:

1) I boot the controller and wait anywhere from 30 seconds to several minutes.....doesn't matter how long.
2) I boot the computer and start UCCNC. It starts in Reset mode as it should and WILL NOT go out of reset. The standard E-Stop/Limit switch message appears. No matter how many times I try it will not reset.
3) AND MOST IMPORTANT........... I close UCCNC and restart it (not rebooting the computer or the control) and it will reset just fine and work as it should.

Plus.........this morning I discovered it acts this way whether the computer is attached to the control (LAN cable) or is in my office on my desk in another building and starting in Demo mode. Given that the control being connected doesn't matter it isn't part of the issue. Just to let you know though it is a C76 board from CNC4PC.

Personally I think it's something I configured incorrectly or a corrupted file. A fresh install of UCCNC without any of my customized buttons and profile starts just fine.

Thanks,
BH

I'm still trying to find what is causing this but have found a silly workaround.

I have UCCNC in the STARTUP folder in Windows so when the laptop boots up UCCNC automatically starts. That's when I get the failure to reset problem.

However if I put a second copy of the UCCNC icon in the STARTUP folder (so that there are two copies) then UCCNC starts twice. The copy that starts first won't reset but the one that starts second will be fine. Then I just close the first one and I'm good to go. Not a great solution but for now better than having to manually start it twice.

BH

It sounds like UCCNC is just starting before the PC makes the ethernet connection to the UC300ETH.
If you remove it from the startup folder, and start it manually, it'll probably work every time.

You can also force the UCCNC to never start in demo mode, so if it does not see the motion controller then it will not start at all.
You can do it with editing the Start icon and in the target field add the /s serial number, so for example C://UCCNC/UCCNC.exe /s CD1234
Then the software will only connect to the motion controller with serial number CD1234, otherwise if it is not available then the software will not startup.
This way you can avoid to run in demo mode.